If you avoid these early-season mistakes, you'll almost certainly get more out of your season.
After waiting all spring and summer, it's finally time to start deer hunting; the early season is here.
With all the excitement in the air and the chance to chase mature bucks once again, it's easy to fall into some common mistakes. Luckily we're here to help you avoid them.
Put your right foot forward and avoid these early-season mistakes to set yourself up for a full season of success.
Hunting the wrong food source
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This may seem a little obvious, but early-season deer hunting is highly geared toward food sources. Any deer hunter who positions themselves on the right food source will have a good chance of bagging a big buck if that deer feeds there frequently. However, make sure you don't go in blind. Be sure to do some preseason scouting or even scout from an observation stand and move in later, as it'll help minimize the hunting pressure. You'll need to be mobile with your stand locations, too.
Planting early-season food plots can help ensure this type of opportunity.
Not Hunting Public Land
This mistake makes the most sense for folks who have access to private ground. There's no doubt everyone is excited to hunt, but early season doesn't offer a high level of success if you haven't done plenty of pre-season scouting and knowledge of the location of different bucks. Going into a prime area without any recent sign could cause more damage than good. Successful deer hunters are able to have patience and precision with every hunt. Trail cameras can help with gathering intel that a buck will be in the area.
Hunting public land will help you go through the motions and still have a chance of tagging a buck early in the deer season.
Hunting A Prime Bedding Area With Bad Conditions
This also falls under jumping the gun too early, but it's easy to fall into this trap. Whether it's a bad wind direction or just unfavorable weather conditions, hunting a ground blind or treestand too early will cause harm that could go deep into the late season. Many times, hunters only have one or two chances of tagging a specific mature buck, so don't be one to jump the gun.
Be sure to steer clear of these mistakes and you'll be off to a strong start this season. Good luck!
NEXT: DIY KANSAS PUBLIC LAND HUNT WILL GET YOU EXCITED JUST IN TIME FOR THE SEASON
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